Inspired by new ultra-thin solar panels developed for satellites, a project led by Toyota Motor Corp is experimenting with a sun-powered Prius that it hopes will one day require no plugging in. In the Japanese government-funded demonstration project, Toyota engineers fitted solar panels designed by Sharp Corp to the hood, roof, rear window and spoiler to see how much juice the sun can generate. The electricity from the panels goes directly to the drive battery, so the Prius can charge while moving or when parked.
Electric mobility is a major part of Hyundai's future and the carmaker has introduced its first-ever electric race car at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. The Hyundai Veloster N ETCR is an all-electric machine based on the Veloster hatchback and will compete in the new European Touring Car Championship (ETCR). The new offering shares the roof with a number of electrics at Frankfurt this year including the Volkswagen ID.3, Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e, Porsche Taycan, Mercedes Vision EQC and more.
The ongoing 2019 Frankurt Motor Show has some exciting launches happening around it and German automaker Mercedes-Benz has previewed the next iteration of the S-Class with the Vision EQS Concept. Now, the Mercedes Vision EQS is based on an all-new EV platform and promises a 700 km range. The manufacturer describes the new concept as a full electric luxury saloon concept, giving a glimpse at the its technology in a saloon for the future and an all-new flagship offering for its EQ line-up of electric vehicles.
The Volkswagen ID.3 breaks cover at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. It marks the coming of a new era for Volkswagen and it will hit the roads in Europe early next year.
Ionity aims to install 400 high-speed charging stations across Europe by the end of next year in a bid to combat concerns about the range of electric vehicles, which is still considered a key factor limiting demand.
Last week, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk tweeted that he will be bringing over the Tesla Model S to the holy grail of motorsport - The Nurburgring circuit in Germany. It was thought of as a challenge to the recently unveiled Porsche Taycan Turbo, the iconic German automaker's first-ever fully electric sports car. Setting a benchmark time at the Nurburgring is what most manufacturers swear by, and what better way to welcome the Taycan than throw up a challenge. It now seems the stakes have moved a notch higher as Musk may have just found a "decent driver" to pilot the Model S at the iconic track. Responding to Musk's tweet was former Formula 1 world champion Nico Rosberg, who has offered his services to take the Model S around the Nurburgring.
Porsche is making a leather-free version of its new Taycan electric sports car in the latest attempt by a German automaker to play up green credentials as environmental activists lobby for a boycott of the industry. Last month, a climate activist group smashed up 40 luxury vehicles and called for a boycott of this month's Frankfurt Auto Show because it celebrates an "outmoded climate and environment destroying transportation system."
Asian cities are switching to electric vehicles in a bid to tackle worsening air quality, cut climate changing emissions, and expand their public transport networks, climate experts said on Friday.
The future is 8-bit. At least that's what Hyundai's new '45' concept suggests that was recently teased, ahead of its debut at the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show. Inspired by the automaker's first model in the 1970s, the 45 fully-electric concept car will act as a symbolic milestone for Hyundai's future EV design, according to the company. The car that the automaker speaks of is the Hyundai Pony that was introduced in 1975 and was the first mass-market car in South Korea. The Hyundai 45 concept not only pays homage to the Pony but also takes a retro design cue or two for its EVs.
